MarKetiNG European trends: are they working? Case Study 20 Cent, Germany launched in May 2004, 20 Cent’s simple and clearly arranged layout and uncomplicated make-up streamline production for its staff. the cover page, meanwhile, is designed to look like a web page. Stories are short and feature active, direct writing and many interviews. the newspaper is not broken up into the traditional sections. Within its 32 tabloid pages are news, sports, gossip, current events, and lighter content targeting young readers between 14- and 39-years-old. the youth-oriented daily newspaper seeks a less serious tone and includes such features as games and dating. the newspaper’s distribution is managed by lausitzer rundschau in Cottbus, which also supplies much of 20 Cent’s content. Subscriptions are also available, either individually or bundled with the traditional daily. the newspaper is also distributed through local bus and train lines. hoping that a cover price will add a sense of value to the newspaper, the publisher offers the newspaper for €0.20. Benefting expansion, the newspaper’s editorial content is designed to be exported to other markets. In March 2005, 20 Cent Saar was introduced to the Saarbrücken market. there, it incorporates content from the daily Saarbrücker Zeitung. It’s become clear that two of the largest trends in newspaper publishing around the world are compacting format and free dailies. In Germany, several papers have taken on these trends in the past couple of years and some have shown remarkable growth. Case Study 24 sata, croatia a process beginning in May 2004, including four months for planning and product development and only a few months of preparation, led to the launch of the new title 24 sata on March 2, 2005. austria’s Styria Media aG employs in Zagreb, Croatia, 86 people. the company produces and sells 56 to 64 pages seven days a week. In addition, special editions are produced for six regions in the country. the target group is younger than 49 years. the contact is very close to the readers, and the new newspaper uses all of the multimedia possibilities available to it. here is a direct quote from the title’s introduction on the web site of Styria Medien aG: “a newspaper that strives to be up to date for its readers, 24 hours a day, needs more than the printed word. It needs the diverse topics and multi-media of the internet. therefore, www.24sata.hr is not only an attractive electronic bonus, but also a self-confdent, dynamic medium in which a young team conquers more and more of those people who are spellbound by the computer, professionally or privately. a clear sign for that: www.24sata.hr moves at a rapid pace and is a vigorous gate to the world. So it is not surprising that www.24sata.hr counts itself as one of the country’s most important information platforms and is happy about the rising number of users. More surprises can be expected.” the newspaper’s editorial staff contains a number of young people, fresh from the university. their task: to be faster, shorter, and clearer than the traditional newspapers. the claim “Whole truth. half price” signals not only editorial credibility by also refers to the price. on the average, “24 sata” costs only half as much as the traditional newspapers. Presently, about 100,000 copies are sold daily, with 33 percent of all Croatians are reading the new title. advertising sales were more than 40 percent above plan in 2005. Case Study Welt Kompakt, Germany Welt Kompakt was billed as a “newspaper for a new generation” upon its May 24, 2004, launch in Berlin. Since then, the weekday 32-page tabloid has spread to a number of Germany’s larger cities. In hamburg, Berlin, and frankfurt it is also available through subscription. the company’s plans to further expand the title into new markets, preferably those containing universities, has faltered due to the lack of suitable printing facilities. to bridge this gap, the newspaper is now available in digital form online. at present, Welt Kompakt is edited by a staff of 15. however, they have access to all the editorial content from Die Welt and the Berliner Morgenpost as well. Due to its later deadline for editorial, the €0.50 Welt Kompakt will often contain stories and information not found in that day’s edition of Die Welt. this does not appear to have cannibalised the traditional newspaper’s circulation. about half of the tabloid’s readers are unique. these readers are typically young, well educated, and affuent. they are often commuters and business travellers. At an International Newspaper Marketing Association seminar in February, some case studies were presented to showcase the changes. 28 | PaNPa bUlletiN april 2006